So I don’t really look forward to these early fighting games – the genre isn’t the best in general and it’s not until the likes of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter that we see some of the kinks getting worked out.

KarateChamp, then, is the next game because it’s a game I’m not much looking forward to, but need to get done, so I might as well get it out of the way.

Our Thoughts

In Karate Champ, you don’t go out to save the girl. There’s no set of recognisable opponent. You literally play in a karate tournament, as you would expect. I don’t really know karate, so I’m guessing that’s pretty much how it works. You move by using two sticks, the input of the two combining to moves. It’s an interesting idea, but doesn’t lead anywhere. It was difficult to keep track of, and not knowing the rules (old game, nothing gets explained) it became quite difficult to deal with.

It doesn’t help that the intro for the game is fairly long – I couldn’t get into the game, or stay in it.

Final Thoughts

While Karate Champ probably works nicely if you know the sport, and it’s all about the martial arts, now it just feels a bit uninteresting and drawn out.